Aone Onsen

Aone Onsen is a small mountain hot spring in the Tanzawa range of Kanagawa Prefecture, known historically as a quiet, rustic bathing destination rather than a developed resort. Maekawa Senpan's print of Aone fits within his sustained interest in regional onsen, where he travelled to document bathing culture across Japan. The composition would typically combine an interior or semi-outdoor bathing scene with stylised figural forms, the bathers reduced to rounded silhouettes carved with a [baren](/glossary/baren)-friendly economy of line. Senpan favoured a limited palette in these works, often warm earth tones offset by indigo or muted green, printed on absorbent [washi](/glossary/washi) that allows for soft gradations. His [sosaku-hanga](/glossary/sosaku-hanga) method meant each block was cut and printed by his own hand, producing surfaces that show the texture of the woodgrain rather than the polished finish of commercial [nishiki-e](/glossary/nishiki-e). Aone Onsen reflects his preference for modest, lesser-known bathing villages over famous spa towns.